Maxime de la Rocheterie on Marie-Antoinette

"She was not a guilty woman, neither was she a saint; she was an upright, charming woman, a little frivolous, somewhat impulsive, but always pure; she was a queen, at times ardent in her fancies for her favourites and thoughtless in her policy, but proud and full of energy; a thorough woman in her winsome ways and tenderness of heart, until she became a martyr."

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

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Unless otherwise noted, any books I review on this blog I have either purchased or borrowed from the library, and I do not receive any compensation (monetary or in-kind) for the reviews.

Saturday, September 16, 2017

Who am I to Judge? I am a guardian, called to protect the Church, my family, and the world from wrongdoing. St. Paul warns that Bad company corrupts good morals (1 Cor 15:33) and that a little leaven (i.e., evil) leavens the whole lump (Gal 5:8).

Thus, in correcting the sinner, we are
concerned not only for him or her, but for the community and the common
good as well. Sinful and disordered behavior is harmful to community.
Not only does it bring suffering to the sinner and others affected by
the sin, but it also gives scandal and may incite unhealthy responses
such as vengeance or hateful anger. There are times when, after repeated
correction of the sinner fails, we must purge the sinful influence for
the sake of the community. St. Paul says, We instruct you, brethren,
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to shun any brother who walks in a
disorderly way and not according to the tradition they received from us (2 Thess 3:6). Here, St. Paul seeks to preserve the community from disorder and heresy. He also declares, I
wrote to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother
if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater,
reviler, drunkard, or robber—not even to eat with such a one. Is it not
those inside the church whom you are to judge? (1 Cor 5:11)

These more severe methods are sometimes
necessary to reach a hardened sinner as well as to protect the
community. Once again, this requires judgment.

Who am I to Judge? I am one who has been commanded by Jesus to do so. Jesus sayid, If your brother sins, go and point out his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won him over (Mat 18:15).

The clear mandate of the Lord to set others
right. This is not possible without first judging what is right from
what is wrong based on the Lord’s teaching. Then, having observed
wrongdoing or error, we must seek to correct it.

The Lord expects us to correct people we
know and who are in sin. We ought to do it in humility and with love,
but we are to do it. This is especially true if we are in a role of
leadership or prominence: a pastor, teacher, parent, or elder.

In all of these senses, who are you not to judge?

There are certain judgments that we cannot make. For example, I cannot judge that I am holier than you, or that you are more holy than I. Scripture says, Man sees the appearance, but God looks into the heart
(1 Sam 16:7). I cannot tell you if someone is in Hell; only God can
make that judgment. I am also forbidden the “judgment of condemnation,”
wherein I am unnecessarily harsh in punishments or conclusions. In this
regard, Jesus, using the poetry of couplets, says, Do not judge and you will not be judged; do not condemn and you will not be condemned (Luke 6:37). Indeed, the Lord further issues this warning regarding unnecessarily harsh judgments: For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you (Mat 7:2).

None of this is a mandate for silence in the face of sin or wrongdoing. We
must judge between good and evil; we cannot shirk our duties to correct
error and to rebuke sin in others. Who am I to judge in this regard? I
am a watchman, a lover of souls, a guardian, and one who has been
commanded by Christ to speak to a brother who sins. And just we are
called to correct, we must also be open to correction ourselves. (Read more.)

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